Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate Athulya, the 5.5 lakh-sq.ft. new building complex in the Infopark campus at Kakkanad, on Sunday at 4 p.m.
He will also inaugurate the Infopark expressway, a four-lane road connecting the Cochin International Airport. Fisheries Minister S. Sarma will preside and Transport Minister Jose Thettayil will deliver the keynote address.
Set on 7.1 acres of land, Athulya has been designed as an energy efficient eco-friendly building. It houses a software development block with an area of 3.5 lakh sq.ft, a cafeteria and multi-level car parking for 111 cars with a direct connectivity to a four lane road.
Incubation centres, training rooms, a 35, 50 and 100-seater module with plug and play facility and a total seating capacity 4,000 are the other highlights.
The building also provides for maintenance teams, a large and efficient floor plate with flexibility for conversion into smaller modules, uninterrupted power supply as well as a treated water system, quality housekeeping and security and SEZ benefits for new IT units.
Talking to The Hindu Infopark Chief Executive Officer Siddhartha Bhattacharya pointed out that Athulya was one of most modern projects to be undertaken by the premier IT house of the State.
He said that the project was significant for more than one reason citing its designated Special Economic Zone status and four-lane connectivity among its many features.
Mr. Bhattacharya said that even if Infopark were to grow organically at 70 to 80 per cent, that itself would mean that there was a requirement for the existing companies to migrate to SEZ.
“Athulya is nicely positioned to take advantage of that industrial transition. It provides an option to the companies operating in Kerala to take the SEZ benefits upfront,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.
Regarding Athulya as a right project that has come up at the right time he took pride in the fact that it was completed in a record 15 months.
The expressway built at a cost of Rs. 30 crore, would ensure easier access to the Airport, 22km from the park.
Mr. Bhattacharya said that the new expressway will be highly beneficial not only for Infopark but also other industrial and educational institutions situated in the region.
The 2.6km stretch connection Infopark to Seaport Road is also expected to ease traffic during peak hours.
Principal IT Secretary Ajay Kumar said that Infopark had already created a built-up area of 30 lakhs sq. ft. during its first phase.
Infopark intends to add another 20 lakh sq. ft. to the existing campus within the next 3 years, generating capability for employing approximately 40,000 IT professionals.
